Words and Their Stories: Expressions Involving the Nose and the Ears
17 June 2011
Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.
A person’s nose is important for breathing and smelling. The nose is also used in many popular expressions.
Some people are able to
lead other people by the nose
. For example, if a wife leads her husband by the nose, she makes him do whatever she wants him to do.
Some people are said to be
hard-nosed
. They will not change their opinions or positions on anything. If someone is hard-nosed, chances are he will never
pay through the nose
, or pay too much money, for an object or service.
It is always helpful when people
keep their nose out
of other people’s business
. They do not interfere. The opposite of this is someone who
noses around
all the time. This kind of person is interested in other people’s private matters. He is considered
nosey
.
Someone who keeps his
nose to the grindstone
works very hard. This can help a worker
keep his nose clean
or stay out of trouble.
One unusual expression is that is
no skin off my nose
. This means that a situation does not affect or concern me. We also say that sometimes a person
cuts off his nose
to spite his face. That is, he makes a situation worse for himself by doing something foolish because he is angry.
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